Forrest Gump – Character Quotes

Mama said there's only so much fortune a man really needs, and the rest is just for showing off.

— Do you ever dream, Forrest, about who you're gonna be?
— Who I'm gonna be?
— Yeah.
— Aren't I going to be me?

One day, it started raining, and it didn't quit for four months. We'd been through every kind of rain there is: little bitty stinging rain, and big old fat rain, rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes, rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath.

I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is.

From that day on, if I was going somewhere, I was running!

— Gump! What's your sole purpose in this Army?
— To do whatever you tell me, Drill Sergeant!
— God damn it, Gump! You're a goddamn genius! That's the most outstanding answer I've ever heard. You must have a goddamn IQ of 160! You are goddamn gifted, Private Gump!

You know, it's funny what a young man recollects, 'cause I don't remember being born. I don't recall what I got for my first Christmas, and I don't know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world.

— Whoa, man! You just ran through a big pile of dog shit!
— It happens.
— What, shit?
— Sometimes.

And 'cause I was a gazillionaire and I liked doing it so much, I cut that grass for free.

I guess Lieutenant Dan figured there's some things you just can't change. He didn't want to be called crippled, just like I didn't want to be called stupid.

Mama always said there's an awful lot you could tell about a person by their shoes: where they're going, where they've been. I've worn lots of shoes.

— Have you found Jesus yet, Gump?
— I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir.

My mama always said, "You got to put the past behind you before you can move on."

I don't know if Mama was right, or if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze. But I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.

That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So, I ran to the end of the road, and when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured since I'd run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason, I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean.

Sometimes I guess there just aren't enough rocks.